Martin Parr: Return to Manchester

"Martin Parr shows how the lives of Mancunians have changed but also reveals how there is continuity in how we live our lives". - Manchester Art Gallery

---

During November my uni group and I took a trip to visit Manchester Art Gallery with the main intention of observing Martin Parr's Return To Manchester series of images. 

"The exhibition brings together a selection of Parr’s Manchester photographs. Ranging from black and white images of June Street, Salford in 1972 and Yates Wine Lodges in 1982-3, to colour photos of people shopping in 1986 and 2008, his work shows how the lives of Mancunians have changed but also how there is continuity in how we live". - Manchester Art Gallery.

Martin Parr has largely inspired me and my work for many years and it was a privilege to be able to view a selection of his works over his photographic career. I thought his images shot at Prestwich Mental Hospital 1972 were intriguing and also haunting at the same time. With them being in black and white it almost appears to make the photos seem not real, as though they were from a film. However the images that I took a strong liking to were in fact Spending Time, Salford 1986. Colour was a big reason as to why I initially started researching Parr's work so I was immediately drawn to this series of photographs. I love the raw expressions of the public's faces and the bright, bold, statement colours that accompany these emotions.